1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a coin operated redemption game played on a low friction, air cushion playing surface and including a moveable barrier for capturing a puck after play of the game has finished.
2. Description of Related Art
The game of "Air Hockey.TM." is a well known, two player game and is described in the prior art literature and in U.S. Pat. Nos. such as 3,773,325 and 3,887,187. Two players are typically located at opposite ends of a playing surface which includes an array of small holes through which pressurized air is pumped. A puck, in the form of a flat disk, can float over the cushion of air with relatively little or no friction. A striker or a mallet is used to hit the puck. The players at opposite ends of the playing surface attempt to defend their goal from the puck driven by their opponent.
While the use of two player air cushion games is fairly well known, its implementation as a one player game, especially in the context of coin operated machines, is relatively limited. In that regard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,128 entitled "AIR CUSHION TABLE GAME", discloses a one player, coin operated game for use in conventional game or redemption arcades. The player uses a mallet to hit a puck which is driven over an air cushion surface to impact targets at the goal end of the playing surface. A barrier is employed to come down at the end of the game. The barrier includes a flexible rubber blade which permits the puck to slip under it so it does not return to the player. The play of the game can be made more challenging by placing an obstacle in front of the targets. While this approach has many advantages, it has disadvantages too. For example, a rubber blade is subject to wear and oxidation. Moreover, the excitement in the play of the game can diminish in view of the fact that the rebound "action" of the puck is not believed to be very quick.
Isolated, but possibly relevant concepts, can be found in other contexts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,341 describes an air cushion game, similar to pin ball, including a display scoring mechanism at the far end. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,310 describes an electrically operated game in which targets may be randomly illuminated for a limited period of time during which the player attempts to hit the illuminated target with a projectile. U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,737 describes a puck style surface projectile game having a board display above the surface.
The following patents describe amusement games including scoring displays of possible relevance: 1,986,152; 1,906,260; 2,914,327; 3,275,324; 3,384,375; 3,063,719; and 5,071,127.
Insofar as is known and understood, none of the prior art, either taken individually or in combination, teaches or suggests a single player, air cushion game including a resilient barrier that moves up in order to capture the puck at the end of the game.